Women are making a difference worldwide, having reached their positions in society and their professions through more difficult and roundabout routes than their male counterparts.

But they are still encountering the "glass ceiling'' in both politics and business.

The message came from Bank of America senior vice president Kathleen Brown, who was speaking on the final night of the Organisation of Women in International Trade's conference at the Sonesta Beach Resort and Spa.

Ms Brown, a former state treasurer of California who ran for Governor in 1994, said the theme of her speech was "women, money and power -- three topics close to my heart.

"Like that topic?'' she asked, as the room burst into thunderous applause.

"I think it is fair to say that, today, women in politics, women in business, financing and government and women in our communities are making a difference.

Women have done so by blazing new trails to power. Trails that are often much more circuitous and more challenging than those typically travelled by our fathers, brothers and sons,'' said Ms Brown, whose father, Pat, and brother, Jerry, were both Governors of California.

"And these are trails that inevitably have shaped the kinds of leaders and the managers that we are. Women have done so by pioneering whole new agendas and whole new management styles.'' Ms Brown told the audience that while women had reached top positions in parliamentary governments around the world, they had not been able to make it to the top in some other countries' governments -- like the US.

In business, there was a similar story, she said, with 40 percent of the middle management positions in the US being held by women while only ten percent of executive spots were filled by them.

And the number of women in CEO positions in the US can be counted on the fingers of one hand, added Ms Brown.

Meanwhile, women are launching their own businesses in the US at twice the rate of men and own nearly 8 million firms and generate close to $2 trillion in annual sales.

Ms Brown said a survey found that "gender is a powerful determinant of career experience and that to succeed, women must work harder than men and consistently exceed expectations''.

And women said three factors held them back: male stereotyping and preconceived ideas; the exclusion of women from informal communication networks -- such as the golf course; and lack of significant experience in general management or line experience.

Coupled with this is " the fact that many women combine careers with being wives and mothers'', she added.

"They juggle these roles with much planning and a lot of luck, making many choices on a daily basis, sometimes putting family first, other times business, living carefully compartmentalised lives -- until, their child gets sick or they suddenly have to go out of town.'' Meanwhile they have to deal with a series of catch-22's such as: "Don't be too strident or severe, but don't be weak or gushy, be strong, but not hard, be good-looking, well-dressed, but not frivolous.

"And my favourite was always don't be too old, and don't be too young.'' Citing her own route to where she is today, Ms Brown said she originally wanted to be a lawyer but ended up being married with three children.

She eventually got involved with community activities and joined the Board of Education -- then got divorced and became a single mother.

Ms Brown said she resigned from the board, remarried and moved from California to New York City and fulfilled her dream, at the age of 40, of becoming a lawyer. She then became treasurer of California.

She stressed life had taught her: "Those women who want to have it all, can, so long as we don't try and have it all at once. We need to learn to take care of ourselves financially and remember that we still can't have it on the same terms as men.'' There are differences between men and women, "not better, not worse, just different'', she said.

But worldwide, businesses and politicians are discovering that "women are a force to be reckoned with in the marketplace, at the ballot box and at the workplace''.